What Could Have Been
by Warrose
Summary: Alistair is questioning whether he and Serene are truly meant to be when Flemeth happens upon him and gifts him with a dream of what could have been.  A companion piece to A Purpose. M for later chapters
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - this is somewhat of a companion piece to A Purpose, but only the characters are the same, not the actual story. **

**In case anyone needs a reminder, I don't own anything sadly, or I would be too busy writing storylines for video games and not writing smutty fanfiction... and I must send my love out to Jinx1983 and her forum of Awesome Authors! **

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_The odd run in with Flemeth and shaken Alistair a bit. _

_He had been staring at the Empress' mural of the warden commander of Fereldan. She looked so sad and lonely, making him think if they really were meant for each other. She was from another world and perhaps if she hadn't had that accident he would have never met her. He didn't know what his life would have been like if she wasn't brought to Thedas._

_Also, he wondered what life would be like if she had actually been born in Thedas. Would he have ever met her? Would she have even looked twice at him? She probably wouldn't have blinked at him. He probably would have ended up with Brieanna, which made him want to throw up._

"_Doubt your love for the warden?" Alistair turned around to see someone that looked like a slightly younger version of Flemeth._

"_Um, I don't know what you're talking about." Alistair said and he started to walk away._

"_I know you know what I'm talking about, bastard son of King Maric." Flemeth said. Alistair froze and turned to face her._

"_You were dead. We made sure of that." Alistair said. Flemeth chuckled._

"_Morrigan and Serene are smarter to know that I didn't completely die. Morrigan has led me away from Fereldan, hiding something from me. I'll figure it out, but you have sparked my interest. There is something you need to know, see." Flemeth explained._

"_What would that be?" Alistair asked._

"_What could have been, should your warden have been born here. It was a simple choice her mother made her. She was dying while carrying Serene, and instead of turning right towards a healer, she turned left towards the docks and died before leaving for Fereldan. I can show you what life would have been like if she had turned right towards the healer." Flemeth said._

"_How are you going to do that?" Alistair asked._

"_When you go to sleep, you will dream of this, of the life that could have been. Now go, I have things to do." Flemeth said. Alistair frowned and walked away from the witch. He headed back to his room that he rented and laid down on the bed._

"_Huh, what the world would have been like if she had been born here?" Alistair mumbled to himself as he got ready for bed and closed his eyes._

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Sharon doubled over in pain again as she made her way to the docks. She was six months pregnant and after consulting at least five different healers, she had been told that her and the baby would not last the trip to Fereldan. She prayed to the maker she would make it, he had to know about the baby.

Sharon was walking and stopped when she arrived at a crossroad. She was about to go left towards the docks when something in her told her to go right. She decided to go with her gut and turned right. She decided to head toward the tavern to try to get something to eat. She stumbled into the tavern and nearly knocked over an elf.

"Damn shem, watch where you're…. Sharon?" The elf snapped. Sharon looked closely at the elf. She had mousy brown hair and hazel eyes that were slowly losing the annoyance in them.

"Fiona?" Sharon asked. Fiona nodded and suddenly jumped forward to catch Sharon from falling over in pain.

"I think you need to lie down. I've got a room upstairs and then I'll examine you." Fiona said. Sharon nodded and allowed the elf to guide her upstairs. Sharon fell to the mattress of the bed and cringed in pain.

"What are you doing here, Fiona? I thought I would never see you again." Sharon asked. Fiona smiled as she let her healing magic flow over Sharon. She frowned at what she discovered.

"You're pregnant and you're suffering from the taint sickness. What's going on?" Fiona asked. Sharon sighed.

"Remember when you and Duncan came up this way when you were to Ferelden?" Sharon asked. Fiona nodded.

"I was taking something to Maric." Fiona said sadly.

"Well that was about the time I got pregnant." Sharon pointed out. Fiona remembered that night because Duncan didn't come back to their room to help with the baby. He had spent the night with Sharon it would seem.

"Duncan is the father?" Fiona asked. Sharon nodded.

"The healers I've spoken to say I won't live to see Fereldan, but I have to tell Duncan. I know it was just one night we had, but I love him and need to let him know." Sharon said. Fiona nodded and pulled out something from her pack.

"I'm going to give you something that might help you, it helped me. I don't know how well it will work for you though. This will allow you to live long enough to have the baby and cleanse the womb of the taint. I don't know how much time you would have after that." Fiona explained. Sharon nodded.

"It doesn't matter to me if I died eventually; so long as I have this baby and let Duncan know about it." Sharon said. Fiona nodded and handed Sharon a vial, smiling. Sharon took the vial and swallowed the contents.

"Her, you need to tell him about her. It's a girl." Fiona said with a smile. Sharon beamed with pride and started to cry.

"I always wanted a girl." Sharon said.

"Where are you going to go first? Duncan could be anywhere in Fereldan." Fiona asked.

"I remember him saying he was from Highever originally. I think I will go there, settle down and then start looking for him." Sharon said. Fiona nodded.

"Highever is a good place. I heard the Couslands are very kind people. Maybe they can even help you find Duncan. He worked with the Teryn for awhile." Fiona said.

"Sounds like a plan, Fiona. I'm so glad I went with my gut instead of heading to the docks. You may have saved my life and my baby's." Sharon said.

"Do you have an idea on what you want to call her?" Fiona asked.

"Serene. I'm going to call her Serene." Sharon said.

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**Now Alistair is about to find out if Serene was born in Thedas. What will Sharon find in Highever? Will she find Duncan and will he learn about Serene? Will Serene and Alistair every meet now? You'll have to stick around to find out. Drop a review and find out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - I noticed when I looked at my story traffic, the last chapter got over 80 in almost one day. Thank you so much to everyone that's read so far. Big love cookies in the shape of iron rods (hehehehe) to alyssacousland, Elizabeth-chan and to Jinx1983 and her uberly awesome for of Ridiculously Awesome Authors forum. Check it out when you get the chance and let the authors know how much you love their work, but beware of iron rods, furry gap crackers and bliss boxes... they kinda took over the forums for now... lol**

**Please enjoy and don't be shy! I love to see review alerts in my inbox! Makes me all happy in the pants! ;-)**

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Eleanor Cousland was outside the city walls, looking for a particular flower to take to the chantry. It was the same flower she had offered to the Maker in hopes she would get pregnant with Fergus and the Maker answered her prayers. She and Bryce had been working hard to conceive again, they wanted wanted more children now that Fergus was five. She could see the longing in Bryce's eyes for a girl, one to dote upon obsessively as he doted upon her when he could between fighting off the Orlesians and aiding the rebels.

Eleanor smiled fondly to herself, thinking of Bryce bouncing a little girl on his knee while showing her a map or something little girls should know anything about. It would be a battle between the two of them to teach her to be a lady, but it would be a lovely and playful battle they would enjoy for a very long time. As she continued to daydream she was suddenly brought out of it by a very pregnant woman collapsing not too far from her.

"Maker's Breath, are you alright?" Eleanor asked as she ran over the woman. She carefully helped the woman sit up against a nearby tree.

"Thank you." The woman said and she started to cry.

"What's wrong?" Eleanor asked, wondering if maybe the woman had gone into labor.

"The healers in the Free Marches said I wouldn't survive the journey here. I met a friend of mine that helped me and now that I've made it here, I'm going to die." The woman sobbed. She suddenly clutched onto her belly and cried out in pain.

"I don't think you're going to die, my dear. I think your baby is ready to come. Let me take you somewhere safe and clean." Eleanor said. The woman sobbed softly and nodded as she let Eleanor help her up.

"Thank you again, dear lady. I haven't found this much kindness since I found out I was pregnant. May I ask your name?" The woman asked.

"Eleanor, and yours?" Eleanor asked.

"Sharon. This one here is my Serene." Sharon said. Eleanor smiled as she wrapped her arm around Sharon's waist.

"Well, Sharon. I know of an excellent midwife that will help you bring Serene safely into the world." Eleanor beamed. Sharon nodded and allowed Eleanor to drag her through the streets of Highever and towards the castle itself. Just who was it that she happened to have stumbled upon. As they walked into the castle, a little dark haired boy came running up to them.

"Wow Mommy. She's fat." The boy said. Sharon would have chuckled if she wasn't in a great deal of pain. Eleanor gave her son a pointed look.

"She's pregnant, Fergus. Quickly go after your father and tell him we have a visitor and get Nan. Hurry Fergus." Eleanor ordered. The boy stumbled over his own stubby feet and ran off towards the direction of his father.

"A beautiful boy you have." Sharon managed to say through the pain. Eleanor beamed with pride and smiled.

"That he is and he was worth all the pain I went through to give him life. I'm quite certain your Serene will be too. Every child is." Eleanor said as she guided Sharon to a guest room. As they walked in, servants starting scrambling about, bring in things a midwife would need and then a tub.

"You're the Teryna?" Sharon asked. Eleanor sighed and nodded as she helped Sharon into the tub.

"During the occupation here, I once saw a woman thrown out onto the streets by the Orlesians. She died moments after her baby died. I was rather young but my mother and I did what would could. I swore then I would do everything to try and save a life, even one that has not yet been born." Eleanor explained as she helped clean the dirty and blood from Sharon.

"What in the Maker's name do you think you're doing? She's just going to get all dirtied up again." A thin, stern looking woman said as she entered the room. Eleanor helped Sharon out of the tub and pulled a oversize tunic of her head.

"She looked like she had been dragged through a rose bush. I couldn't let her give birth looking like that." Eleanor said.

"Did you at least get that flower you had been going on about for the past month?" The woman asked. Eleanor shook her head.

"We can wait another month for it. Sharon here is much more important." Eleanor said. Sharon blushed at the thought that a noble would think she was more important that her.

"Well, at least you're not too sickly looking for you to have some color in your face. Now lets get you all settled on the bed so we can get ready for this little one. Eleanor, go get that healer." The stern woman said. Eleanor nodded and knelt down next to Sharon.

"Nan here is the best in Highever. She was the one that helped me with Fergus. I think she's secretly hoping I don't have a second. He's been quite a thorn in her side ever since." Eleanor said. Sharon smiled and watched as the teryna left the room.

"The boy isn't half bad. He has a charm that makes me want to scream some days and constantly hug him others. What I'm afraid of is her having a daughter that's like the Teryn, and that'll drive everyone in Fereldan up the wall. Now you just relax and let Nan see whats going on." Nan said reassuringly. Sharon nodded and relaxed. Hopefully the Maker had blessed her with this accident of coming across the Lady Cousland.

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Bryce was walking down the halls when he heard the screaming. His curiosity and concern got the better of him and he went to investigate. He found the room where the screaming was coming from and it made his heart pound. He couldn't believe someone would be doing this in his home, he was a good man and expected everyone under his home to be courteous to each other. As he opened the door, the sight inside shocked him.

"Bryce Cousland! What in the Maker's name do you think you're doing?" Nan snapped as she turned to see Bryce frozen in shock at a woman, spread eagle on a bed with a baby coming out of her birth canal.

"Maker's Breath. Is that how Fergus was born?" Bryce whispered. The mage in the corner giggled under her breath.

"You don't expect that the Maker just dropped him into the midwife's arms?" The mage said. Bryce watched as the baby finished its decent from its mother and into the blanket Nan was catching it in. He watched as Nan wrapped the baby in a blanket and walked over to the mother.

"Here's your mother, Serene. Wynne?" Nan said as she glanced over at the mage. The soft blue glow of the mage's healing power enveloped both child and mother. For a moment, Wynne frowned and then smiled widely at Sharon.

"Serene is very well. As healthy as any baby I've ever seen." Wynne said as she gave Nan a look. Nan nodded and went to take Serene from Sharon.

"Let me go clean her up and see if the lady has kept some of Fergus' old things. For awhile we thought he was going to be a girl so there's a few items she might part with for awhile. I hope you don't mind." Nan said softly. Sharon shook her head.

"Please, I seem to be much too tired at the moment. Thank you very much. I don't know what I've done to deserve all this kindness, but I won't be ungrateful. I swear." Sharon said. Bryce walked over to the woman and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about that now. You are welcome to stay as long as you like. Eleanor and I always wanted more children running around underfoot." Bryce. Sharon smiled up at Bryce weakly and took his hand in hers.

"Thank you, your Grace. You have no idea how much that means to me and my baby." Sharon said.

"Please, just Bryce." Bryce said. Sharon blushed slightly and nodded.

"Well, why don't you take this little bit into the nursery and clean her up, Bryce. Wynne and I need to have a word with Sharon here." Nan ordered. Bryce looked at Sharon who nodded and he took the small girl into his arms. She had her mother's hazel eyes and red brown hair that looked like it would curl when get got longer. Her skin was a bit darker than her mother's and her face had several features her mother did not.

"I'll send for a wet nurse while you recover." Bryce said. Sharon nodded and smiled. Bryce carried the little girl out of the room and to the nursery where Fergus use to sleep. He had long since moved into a room of his own and they still had it set up in case the Maker blessed them with another child.

"Something is wrong, isn't it? With me." Sharon asked after the door closed behind Bryce. Wynne nodded sadly.

"Was the father a grey warden?" Wynne asked. Sharon nodded.

"He's part of the command here in Fereldan. That's why I traveled here, to find him. To let him know of his daughter." Sharon said.

"Your daughter is free of the taint, but you are not. I don't know how much time you have, but eventually it will cause your heart to stop." Wynne explained.

"How long do I have?" Sharon asked.

"Several years at least. I will ask Irving if I can travel here to check you every so often to see the progress." Wynne explained. Sharon turned to Nan.

"The teryn and his wife have been so kind to me. Do you think maybe they would..." Sharon started to ask. Nan smiled and shook her head.

"Without a doubt, my dear. They've always wanted a daughter and I saw that look Bryce had on his face looking at the tiny tot, he will beg you to stay. Don't you worry yourself. That girl is as good as part of this family. I'm sure they'd pitch a fit if you even thought about leaving." Nan said reassuringly. Sharon nodded and laid her head back into the pillows. Nan gave Wynne a look and the two crept from the room. Sharon slowly closed her eyes and prayed to the Maker that he would allow her enough time to find Duncan and let him see their beautiful daughter, before she died.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N - Thank you to everyone that has been reading, review and adding this story to their alerts and favorites. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. A special shout out and cookies to the cheeky smut monkeys out there... and our very own smut monkey puppy, Tristen... lol **

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Rendon Howe, his wife, his eight year old son Nathaniel and his 3 year old daughter, Deliah had come to visit Highever. The Howe's had been coming to Highever once a year, or at least Rendon did. His wife would often show up at the gate with her children in tow. Neither of the Couslands asked her any questions as to why. Sharon had an idea though. The Arl made her skin crawl, more than the thought of darkspawn turning her into a broodmother.

For Serene, it was always a treat when the Howes came to visit. Now she had two people to pounce on instead of just Fergus. Much to the dislike of Bryce, Fergus had shown Serene a few battle tactics he had learned and the two of them were constantly playing war. Sharon didn't fight the girl's need to play a bit rough, seeing as her mother was barmaid and her father a grey warden. Knowing how to handle things stronger than her was in her blood.

As much as it was encouraged for Serene to play with Deliah, she prefered to play with Fergus and Nathaniel. The boys were more sturdy so they wouldn't cry when she hit them and she could pounce at them from a great height, knowing she wouldn't get hurt either. All Deliah wanted to do was play with dolls or wear dresses. Serene wanted nothing to do with that.

Fergus and Nathaniel sat in Fergus' room, arranging the little figurines on the floor to depict an epic battle. They had gather some of Serene's wooden blocks and built a fort for their army to protect. Sharon stood at the door, narrowing her eyes to spot anything out of place. She had been looking for Serene for over an hour and knew that if the boys weren't paying attention, she was most likely in a position to pounce. As luck would have it, she noticed a bit of curly hair under the foot of Fergus' bed and shook her head.

"Fergus, have you seen Serene today?" Sharon asked. Both boys looked up at the door, frowned and shook their heads.

"I haven't seen her since breakfast." Fergus said. Sharon nodded and tried to gauge when the girl would strike. It looked like the boys were still setting up and Serene had a flare for dramatics, likely to strike right after they were done. Sharon sighed, smiled and shook her head again.

"Well, when you see her, can you let her know that your father and I would like to talk to her?" Sharon asked.

"Yes, Ma'am." Both boys said together as they nodded. Sharon nodded and turned to walk away. Nathaniel looked around the room and then back at Fergus.

"I wonder where the evil one is hiding today." Nathaniel said as he laughed slightly. He knew she was in the room, but just didn't know where.

"That's why we have these armies. She won't destroy our fortress today." Fergus said proudly. Serene giggled to herself as she climbed out from underneath the other side of the bed and crept silently across the mattress. She stopped at the edge of the bed and silently watched as the two boys finished their battle setup.

"I wonder what we'll be facing today." Nathaniel wondered aloud. Fergus shrugged as the two boys looked around the room, except for behind them. Serene waited a few moments and then launched herself at Nathaniel. She caused the older boy to fall into the fort and roll over half of their little army. Fergus laughed as Serene started to naw on Nathaniel's arm.

"Serene, you're worst than a mabari." Fergus laughed. Serene had that evil little twinkle in her eyes as she looked at Fergus. He put up his hands, hoping she wasn't about to pounce. Serene let Nathaniel's arm fall from her mouth and she pounced on Fergus, licking his face and barking. The three started laughing hard and didn't stop until the sound of a man clearing his throat at the door stopped them. Serene yelped and drove behind Fergus as she noticed that Bryce and Rendon were standing at the door.

"Quite a viscous beast you are, Serene." Bryce said fondly. Serene poked her head from behind Fergus and smiled widely at Bryce, but went back behind the boy when she saw that look Rendon was giving her. The Arl gave her the creeps.

"It'll be hard to find a match for her, Bryce." Rendon commented. The man didn't approve of her boyish like behavior, but she didn't care. Everyone in Highever castle thought her behavior was well behaved and friendly.

"She's only three, Rendon. Besides, there are men out there that willingly bend obediently to a woman. Yet speaking of which, Serene, your mother and I have something we wish to talk to you about." Bryce said.

"But I didn't do it." Serene said defensively. Fergus and Nathaniel chuckled as it was her usual response to when she was about to talk with her mother and Bryce. Bryce shook his head and chuckled as well.

"Not yet, my dear. Come on." Bryce said as he held out his hand to her. Serene grumbled and slowly crawled out from behind Fergus and took Bryce's hand.

"I'm not in trouble?" Serene asked. Bryce smiled and shook his head.

"No, my dear. You're not in trouble." Bryce said. He laughed and scooped the small girl into his arms and carried her off to his study. He hoped that what he wanted the two of them wouldn't cause them any problems.

Serene wiggled out of his arms as soon as they got to his study and settled into the chair by the fireplace. Bryce smiled as he remembered a few sleepless nights staying up with a sick Serene, watching the fire. It was a place of comfort for her. Sharon was sitting in the chair next to Serene.

"Now that you've found the beast, Bryce, what is it that you wanted to talk to us about." Sharon asked.

"I just want to let you both know that you are welcome to stay here as long as you want." Bryce started. Sharon rolled her eyes.

"Bryce, you would tie me down and lock me in my room if I even threatened to leave. Just tell me what is it." Sharon said.

"Eleanor is pregnant." Bryce said, bracing for whatever came. Sharon frowned and gave him a look.

"Is that what's got you all worked up? Afraid that since you'll have a baby around we'll pack up and leave?" Sharon asked.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure that you knew we wouldn't make you leave." Bryce said softly. Sharon chuckled.

"I couldn't leave even if I wanted to. Serene would pitch a fit if I made her leave. So unless you'll let me take Fergus with me, I don't think we'll be going anywhere anytime soon. But I would like to talk to you about something. Serene, can you go find the boys and see if you can't hurt them too much?" Sharon said. Serene mumbled under her breath and jumped out of her chair. She kissed her mother and kissed Bryce on her way out. Bryce sat down next to Sharon by the fire.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" Bryce asked reluctantly.

"I think its time I start looking for Serene's father. That mage, Wynne, she said I didn't have much time and I just want to see them together, just once." Sharon said.

"Why don't you ask Maric? He's good friends with Duncan and I'm sure he would be more than happy to send for him." Bryce said.

"If I mention this to Maric, he'll most likely have an Arling set aside for the grey wardens, expecting me to govern it and Serene to take over after me. Maker knows when I will leave this world, but I'm pretty sure Serene will be too young to handle an Arling and her father might even die before me." Sharon said.

"What about trying to contact Duncan?" Bryce asked.

"I've tried for the past three years, Bryce. Either my letters get returned or another warden informs me he's recruiting or what have you. I think it might be best to just show up wherever they are recruiting and hope that he's there." Sharon explained.

"Who is her father? Eleanor never told me." Bryce wondered. Sharon sighed and looked into the fire.

"Duncan. Her father is Duncan." Sharon said simply. Bryce frowned, now understanding why she was reluctant to speak to Maric for help. The man would use them as an excuse to give the grey wardens a great honor, welcoming them back into Fereldan. That would also mean taking both Sharon and Serene from him, both who he saw as his own family.

What bothered Bryce more than just Maric's possible reaction if Sharon requested his help was the response from Duncan. The man would be an idiot not to fall in love the instant he saw Serene and discovered she was his daughter. That was why he kept Sharon and Serene in Highever. He didn't want to expose them to court life and have some noble's unworthy son sweeping Sharon off her feet and stealing away his Serene. Serene was truly like a daughter to him and even if the maker blessed him with one of his own, he wasn't going to give her up easily.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - I just want to say thanks to the overwhelming response to this story. I think it has as many readers as A Purpose. Which is really good! I wanna say thanks to Kira Tamarion, KCousland, Deliciously Demonic for their reviews. I hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as my main.**

**A special happy cookie to my ninja beta Jinx1983. If you ever get a chance, check out her forum board h t tp:/ /w w w . d a rks .u k/c m da take out the spaces. There are a good amount of great authors that are listed and you can have a chance to talk with them and show them so love**

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The Couslands, Sharon and Serene arrived at Redcliffe castle three days before the contingency of Grey Wardens. This gave Serene a few days to terrorize both Fergus and Teagan, which she took great pleasure in doing. Unfortunately, neither young man wished to be bothered by the five year old's games. Fergus had been looking forward to hunting with Teagan, who was three years older than him. He looked up to Teagan since he was such an accomplished hunter and Fergus wanted to learn all he could about archery.

Serene watched them for awhile, but being five didn't help with the attention span. A few times Teagan tried to coax Serene out on to the field to practice, but Serene wanted nothing to do with a bow and arrows. Eventually Serene got bored and went in search of something to do. She had heard something about puppies and went in search of the kennels.

Serene managed to dodge all the adults when she wandered about the castle. Bryce desperately wanted her to bond with the twins, but they were too small to play the games she wanted to play. She had gotten in trouble with Nan when she was trying to teach Brieanna how to pounce. Even though Bryce wanted them all to get along, Nan told Serene it would be best to wait until the twins were older for her to play with them like that.

Serene found herself in the stables, where they kept the mabari's in Highever and found something even better than puppies. Granted she was upset at first to find that the kennel wasn't in the stables but her face lit up as she saw something that was guaranteed to keep her happy and occupied until she probably killed it. Now she just needed to figure out a way to keep it alive long enough.

Serene stalked her prey as they sat on the stable floor, playing with some figurines. Maybe they could play with them together after Serene was done with her game. She always enjoyed terrorizing Fergus and Nathaniel before joining their wargames. Serene cocked her head to the side as she took in her prey's appearance.

He was a young boy, maybe her age or a little older. He had short blonde hair that was maybe an inch long. His clothes looked like those of a servant, maybe a servant's son. Hopefully she wouldn't get into trouble for what she was about to do. Maybe she could convince the Arl to let him play with her while she was there, to keep her out from being under foot. The boy was completely unaware that she was maybe a few feet behind him.

Serene suddenly pounced on the boy's back, causing the both of them to fall into the hay. The boy looked shocked that she was there so suddenly, but soon he became determined not to be bullied around by some girl. He smiled triumphantly as he pinned her down, but she managed to wiggle free of his grasp and started tickling him. This was much better than playing with Fergus, he never fought back.

"Serene Mourne? What in the Maker's name are you doing?" Sharon asked as she walked into the stables and found her daughter tangled up with a young boy. The two separated and looked shamefully down at the ground.

"We were just playing, Momma." Serene said. Sharon pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head.

"What is his name, Serene?" Sharon asked. Serene bit her lip and shot a look at the boy. He caught her look and took a step forward.

"My name's Alistair." Alistair said. He shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot, hoping he hadn't just gotten himself into more trouble for fighting with a girl. Sharon looked over the two children, both were covered in dirt and hay sticking out of everywhere. Serene looked happy at the trouble she had caused but not because she had gotten the best of the boy, but because he tried to fight back.

"Well Alistair. It looks like my daughter has found a playmate for our stay here. I don't think even Fergus has tried to fight the mighty beast here. Though I don't like you two playing in the stables, maybe you would like to join us in the castle. Would your family mind?" Sharon asked. Serene's face lit up at the idea of someone to play with.

"Please?" Serene pleaded. Alistair shifted from foot to foot. He wanted to play with the girl, she seemed like a lot of fun, but they were guests of the Arl and that meant that they were nobles. Sharon smiled and held out her hands to both children.

"Why don't we go ask your family? I'm actually quite tired of dealing with those nobles in the castle. I think even Bryce is getting a bit tired of Eamon's formalities." Sharon said. Serene took her hand and looked expectantly at Alistair. He hesitantly took Sharon's hand and she smiled down at him.

"Lead the way." Sharon said. Alistair nodded and walked towards the castle. At first, Sharon thought the boy was bringing them to meet his parents that lived in the castle. Dread filled her mind as they walked came to the door of Eamon's study. Sharon groaned as she looked down at Alistair, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here. She shared the sentiment.

"You have a parent that works for the Arl?" Sharon asked. Alistair shook his head sadly. Sharon sighed. "Your father is the Arl?" Alistair shook his head again. "Oh, so the arl takes care of you. Great." Sharon groaned as she knocked on the door.

"Come in." Eamon called from inside. Sharon braced herself and opened the door. The three of them filed into the room and stopped at Eamon's desk.

"Good afternoon, my lord. I hope we're not bothering you." Sharon said. Eamon shook his head and smiled widely at Sharon.

"Please, Sharon. Call me Eamon. What can I do for you?" Eamon asked polietly. Sharon fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"I found this young man in the stables in the middle of a tussle with Serene." Sharon said. Eamon gave Alistair a pointed look.

"Alistair, you should know better. I'm terribly sorry about this Sharon." Eamon said. Sharon shook her head.

"Don't blame the boy for trying to defend himself. Serene is used to Fergus and Nathaniel just giving in to her. I think she rather enjoyed it. With Fergus learning to hunt and the twins being too small for her games, I thought you wouldn't mind if Alistair stay in the castle to play with her." Sharon said, giving Eamon a pointed look as to what else she was getting at. Eamon blushed with shame and nodded.

"Of course, I don't see why not, unless you don't want to Alistair." Eamon said. Serene smiled and jumped to Alistair's side, pulling him out of the room.

"We're going to go play tag now. Thank you!" Serene laughed as she pulled a confused Alistair out of the study.

Alistair found himself in Serene's guest room as she dug through her things. This girl was confusing, she seemed interested in playing with him, actually playing with him. Most of the people around the castle hardly looked at him twice and here he was being told he could play with this girl while she was visiting.

"So, um, what are you doing?" Alistair asked. Serene grumbled as she tried to pull out something from the bottom of her trunk.

"I'm looking for some toys we can play with." Serene yelled. Alistair grumbled. He didn't want to play with dolls. He soon found a figurine of a high dragon hitting his head. A few knights came flying at him.

"Hey!" Alistair cried as one knight came close to hitting his eye.

"Sorry, Momma packed my trunk after I hid some of Fergus' old toys in here. They're too small for the twins to play with. I saw you playing with some and thought we might be able to play with all of them." Serene said as she wiggled out of the trunk with her arms full of little soldiers.

"Really? Can I go get mine?" Alistair asked. Serene carefully placed the figurines on her bed and nodded.

"Of course. We can even race down to the stables and back." Serene said happily. Alistair smiled and nodded. For the first time in his life, it seemed like someone actually cared about him.

"Alright. Are you ready?" Alistair asked. Serene nodded and took off running.  
"I'm going to beat you!" Serene cried as she got a good head start. Alistair grumbled and moved his legs to catch up with her.

"We'll see about that!" Alistair called to her as he ran after her. Both children ran past Eleanor and the twins as they tried to toddle out of their room. Eleanor shook her head and smiled. Serene needed someone to play with now, since Fergus was wanting to do more adult things and it would still be a few years before the twins could play.

"What in the Makers name?" Fergus cried as he managed to avoid being run over by both Alistair and Serene. Both children giggling as they made their way to the stables. The both slid into the stables at the same time and fell in the hay, collapsing in a giggle fit.

"Wow, you're fast, for a girl." Alistair managed to say between catching his breath and laughing. Serene laughed and helped gather his figurines.

"You're not so bad yourself, for a girl." Serene said.

"Heeeeey!" Alistair cried when he realized she had called him a girl. Serene giggled and ran back into the castle with Alistair hot on her heels.

They managed to make it back to her room without running anyone over and soon they were in the middle of an epic battle. Serene heard both of their bellies grumble with hunger and she sat back on her feet. She had been teaching Brieanna how to keep Nan busy while she sneaked into the larder, but there was no way she could get the toddler now.

"Alistair, is the cook mean here?" Serene asked as she placed a soldier on the floor. Alistair shook his head.

"She always sneaks me sweets. Why?" Alistair wondered. Serene pouted for a moment and then sighed.

"Want to see if we can get a snack?" Serene asked. Alistair's stomach agreed with her loudly and she giggled. She grabbed Alistair's arm and dragged him down to the kitchen. Much to Serene's surprise and disappointment, the cook was nice and made them both a few sandwiches and packed a few cookies for them to have later.

"What would you have done if she wasn't going to give us the cookies?" Alistair asked. Serene smiled devilishly that made Alistair glad the cook was kind.

"It would have been a fun game to play. I play it all the time in Highever. It drives Nan up the wall, especially when I'm playing with Bree." Serene said and then she let out a soft yawn. "Think we have sometime to sneak a nap before dinner?"

"Oh, I don't know. I usually don't have a chance to." Alistair said. Serene pursed her lips and shook her head.

"Well, I'm tired and you look like it too. No one will miss us if we lay down for awhile." Serene said.

"I don't know." Alistair said hesitantly. He didn't want her to know he slept out in the stables. Serene shook her head and pulled him towards her room.

"I couldn't bring my favorite pillow and that bed is really big." Serene said, looking at Alistair with huge eyes like a mabari puppy. Alistair tried to look away but he couldn't. He groaned and rolled his eyes before sighing in defeat.

"Alright, but if I get into trouble..." Alistair started. Serene shook her head and pulled him faster toward her room.

"You won't. I promise." Serene said. Alistair hoped he wouldn't regret allowing her to play him like a fool.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Sharon had been looking for Serene for about an hour, wondering where the girl could have gone. Now she had a partner in crime that was big enough to play all her games. He probably wasn't strong enough to say no either. She had checked everywhere outside and the kitchen, but no Serene. The cook had suggested looking for them in the girl's room since she had overheard them talking about a nap.

"Serene actually volunteering to take a nap?" Sharon asked herself as she stood in front of Serene's room. She softly opened the door and was shocked at what was inside.  
All of the little figurines Serene had brought with her had been picked up and placed on the vanity, which was an improvement to being all over the floor. The room actually looked like a room and not like the wreckage of a darkspawn attack. She would have thought she was in someone else's room for a moment, but when her eyes fell on the bed, she knew she was dreaming.

Serene and Alistair were curled up together in the middle of the bed, under the covers. They looked so peaceful together. Sharon noticed that Alistair was still in one piece so he was made of tougher stuff. As much as she really wished she didn't have to deal with the Arl, she could already tell just from one day of being together, it would be hard to keep them separate for long.

"Sharon, did you find Serene yet?" Bryce asked. Sharon put her finger to her lips to quiet him down.

"Have you ever seen something so cute and oddly disturbing?" Sharon asked. Bryce frowned and looked about the room. It was clean except for the vanity, which had a bunch of figurines on it and then he looked on the bed to see the two young ones curled up.

"I would have to agree. It is a bit adorable. Though I'm not too thrilled about his being in the bed with her." Bryce said.

"They're just children, Bryce. Besides, she needs a friend now. Fergus is interested in become a warrior and the twins are too small for her right now. Maybe if things go well while we're here, you can convince Eamon to send him to Highever for a time, for Serene?" Sharon asked, giving Bryce the puppy eyes that Serene gave him when she wanted something.

"Now I know where our little beastie learned that from. I'll talk to Eamon." Bryce said with a sigh. Sharon smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you Bryce. I know the Maker blessed me when he sent me to you. Now lets let them rest for now. I'm sure she'll have him eating out of the palm of her hand in no time." Sharon said as she pulled him out of the room.

"Who doesn't she have like that?" Bryce asked as he laughed and walked away. Sharon turned and looked at the closed door and sighed sadly.

"Her father." Sharon said sadly.


End file.
